8 minute read
Retail Interview
Stationery Supplies owner Sarah Laker talks to Naomi MacKay about her two Cheshire shops, her social media strategy and waiting for awards results!
We spoke to Sarah at a busy time, when she had just taken part in Small Business Saturday, and was looking forward to two awards ceremonies. Just as we went to press, Sarah bagged the RETA retail award for Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer North. She is also nominated for a Boss Federation Award.
Sarah owns Stationery Supplies; two shops in Marple and Wilmslow in Cheshire. She explains: “I’ve had the Marple shop for 16 years and the Wilmslow shop has been open [on and off through lockdown] for a year and a month.’’
So how did she get into retail in the first place? “I was a nurse, and did my training straight out of school. I loved looking after people but the other bits of the job really started to bog me down. I knew I wanted to run my own business, and we looked at a few different shops. I helped in my friend’s sandwich shop and knew that wasn’t for me. Then the stationery shop in Marple came up for sale, but by the time my husband and I got to look at it it was already under offer and someone else bought it.
“So we spent two years looking around different businesses. Then one day my friend rang me and said that the stationery shop was back up for sale. But it was under offer again! We were on holiday in Wales, and my phone started ringing with messages from the estate agent saying the sale had fallen through and were we still interested. We bought it, I left work on the Friday and walked in the shop on the Monday.
“I didn’t know anything about running a business, but I loved stationery and cards. I had a two-year window until my nurse registration ran out, so I thought I’d have two years to make it work, or go back into nursing.
“I knew about the Wilmslow shop through the Office Club - a stationery dealership group I belong to. It does conferences, training and so on - it’s a great thing to belong to. So I’d known the shop owner for 10 years, and he kept saying he was coming up to retirement and did I want to buy the shop? We did just that in the summer after the first lockdown in 2020.
Our daughter Molly hadn’t been working due to an anxiety disorder and we thought if we bought that business, she could come and work for us, with the aim that eventually I would retire and she could take over.
“The Wilmslow shop was more traditional. We’d only been open three weeks when we went into another lockdown [it was only open for six weeks between January and April 2021]. However it gave us time to revamp,
repaint, and put in the card section - which measures around 5m and includes stock from around 14 different suppliers. So when customers came back in April, it was to a completely different kind of shop.’’
It was during lockdown that Sarah also began to find herself using social media more - and attracting attention from the media. “I was on a mission! I felt really strongly about the fact that stationery wasn’t classed as essential. We had all those parents at home trying to homeschool their children, and people working from home. My customers needed stationery and they needed support. The supermarkets were able to sell stationery - as were garden centres and the bigger shops like Ryman, who ran Western Union money transfer and parcel collection services. I went off trying to highlight the issue and have since appeared in the Metro, Mail on Sunday, BBC News and lots more!’’
She’s now found herself to be something of an industry spokesperson - and was recently approached to talk about price rises by various sections of the media. “It’s across the board - paper, envelopes, and cardboard, The problems with transport, Covid and Brexit have just compounded everything - there’s not just one price rise, there have been several - and we’ve had to pass it on to the customer, Otherwise the margin will be squeezed and it would just not be viable.
“Luckily, because everywhere is subject to price rises, people are being far more understanding.
“Plus, we’ve struggled to get some products in - but because customers see empty shelves in the supermarkets, they are far more understanding about it all. And the benefit of having the two stores now is that I can swap stock between shops if I need to.’’
Shopping local became far more popular over lockdown - has that continued since restrictions ended? “There’s a good proportion of people shopping locally still. We were really active on social media - especially in Marple where we are well established. We had window displays just to brighten people’s days - we had a tree with handprints and inspiring quotes; it was called the tree of positivity. I shaved my head at the start of lockdown and raised thousands for a local charity that was struggling - people really remember these things. I even had a lady come in from Wigan [a 55-minute drive away] who has been following us on social media - and she brought her mum to do some Christmas shopping. Our customers are fabulous - one lady came in the other day, asked how we all were, and gave us a box of chocolates to ‘help keep you going’!’’
Sarah says social media has been key in building up that community feeling and gaining support. She posts on all the local groups - and sees plenty of results: “I started buying from Megan Claire cards and posted one of them on Saturday morning. All six were sold on the same day. I also posted about Ginger Betty - they are the cutest cards ever and just won a Henries award [Best Cute Range for Owl’s Nest]. People were coming in looking for that card.’’
While not all trading is back to normal levels, Sarah’s card sales are 40% up on the same period in 2019. She says: “People have really gone back to sending cards and keeping in touch with people over the past couple of years.’’
She adds that October has also been the first month where general sales are picking up, so she hopes that it is a good sign. “I do think that people will go all out for Christmas this year. Also we have been selling a lot of notebooks. People have been buying them and writing down their memories, for mindfulness; and undated diaries for journalling have been really strong too. Of course people working from home can’t access their company stationery cupboard, so they have been coming in for notebooks - and if you’re buying it yourself you want it to give you a bit of joy, don’t you?’’
In Wilmslow, card sales are about 50% more than in Marple. “There’s no indie card shop in the town, although there are the chains. People come in and buy a handful of cards at a time,’’ says Sarah. It’s Marple, however, where her customers are more eco-minded: “Most of them know that I do eco stationery and there’s a core group of customers who look for that.’’
And when it comes to diversity, Sarah says she caters for it, “but in a more general way. I have gender-neutral baby cards, and we steer away from ‘Mr and Mrs’ wedding cards.The same with birthday cards - many of them are pink and blue, so I always make sure we have some more neutral ones. I do find it hard to find that Holy Grail of male ranges that aren’t football or alcohol related, especially for young adult males.’’
So what brands are selling well? “I’ve only just started with Paper Salad and have already put a second order in. Dandelion Stationery also does lovely gifts such as tea towels and soaps. And Redback has also brought out notebooks. I love it when a card company branches out into stationery!
“Sussex Stills is a small company that I found on Instagram over lockdown. I sent her a message, said I loved her cards [photographic images of Sussex] and asked if she could send me a selection to put on the website. She even sent the images for the website, and when I asked for more, she took the time to look on the site, see what had been selling and then send me a suitable selection, all with images ready to be uploaded. It’s that kind of service that makes you want to go back.’’
So where does Sarah find her suppliers? “This year I went to every show I could, as I was so desperate to get out and see people! I loved it. But normally my top three are Harrogate Home & Gift, the Stationery Show and PG Live. I also like Top Drawer as it is more design-led so you see different things there.’’
Top brands
Dandelion Redback Two Little Monkeys Sussex Stills Alex Clark Art File Early Birds Paper Salad Ginger Betty Megan Claire
Finally, if she could choose which card would be sent to her for a birthday or Christmas, which would she opt for? “I’m a bit of a giraffe fan - that’s why our website is called Giraffe Gifts. I’m always happy to receive a card with a nice giraffe on. One of my customers even made me a giraffe pencil case!’’
